Sprites. They are little more than unintelligent, floating lights, reactive only to direct interaction from the external environment. The extent of their diversity is limited, at best, changes in color.

Pixies, on the other hand, are considered the mischievous, rarely murderous, sentient butterflies of the Fae world. They tend to exhibit a wider range of variety in attitude, nature, and even ability.

Then comes the Fairies, ah, the Fairies have been theorized to be from an entirely different evolutionary line to the other Fae. While they too are sentient, even being the lowest Fae category capable of speech, their unusualness isn’t that simple.

If pixies would dump the equivalent of a bucket of water over your head to give you a bad day, a Fairy could ruin every single day you have left to live. When pixies control the elements, Fairies play with reality.

A uniquely notable property of Fairies, often studied yet never understood, beyond it being a possibly unintentional reaction from reality itself, are the whispers. Whispers of one specific word in the presence of each Fairy. The words thus whispered have come to be known as Fairy Clans, always closely associated with the ability a particular Fairy may have.

Over the years, the various Fairy Research Departments have identified six such clans; Nopenena (the unseen), Dakina (the perceived), Amathaka (the forgotten), Akalika (the non-existent), Danena (the sensed) and Sadathanika (the eternal), each altering aspects of reality tied to the specific clan whisper.

And if that’s already too much for you, then you do not want to find about the Dread variations of each Fae type. Forget dread pixies, the corrupted variation of the already dangerous Fairy, the dread fairy, are nothing but devil incarnate.

–Excerpt from “The Real Fae, A Childhood Dream turned Nightmare” by Dr. Nilan Cumin.

***

Taking a few steps back to give his olfactory senses a much-needed break, Miles drew in a measured breath, and released it, focused to center himself from anything that may disrupt his self-control, before he began to consider the very much unwelcome offer.

Quite annoyingly, Zhan Shen seemed to be entirely on board.

Shooting an irritated glance at him, Miles addressed the duo, “We’re going to need a minute to discuss… options.”

Inani, the muscular girl, tensed her biceps seemingly against the idea, “Why? She’s the best ripper-doc in all of Capital City!”

‘Sure she is,’ Miles thought, but restrained himself from vocalizing his disbelief, and fortunately James intervened, quite awkwardly as he was still within a death grip of a hug, “Inani, it’s fine. We should let them talk.”

Inani pouted in response, but then proceeded to squeeze the boy in an even stronger hug, almost lifting him off his feet, “Okay, but only because you’re so cute Jimmy!”

‘Do they think we needed their permission?’

Regardless of his annoyed musings, Miles hurried to distance himself from the odd pair, Zhan Shen trailing after him.

The moment he was sure they were out of earshot, “Old Zhan, you’re not seriously considering taking them up on their offer?”

The elderly butler tilted his head in amusement, “Whyever would we not?”

“It’s too convenient! Our Faesycian is dead in a ditch, and out comes these two bozos to offer us what we’re missing! They know something.”

Zhan Shen nodded in seemingly expected concurrence, “Quite astute Master Miles. They were tailing us from the moment we entered the area. Probably saw the credits you gave the jelly loving fellow, noted us as high-profile individuals, and later overheard the mention of a Faesycian. They’re not idiots.”

‘They were following us?’ Miles frowned. ‘But I didn’t notice…’

Ever since the altercation with the Hakuryuu, it had become obvious that his tactile senses as a Newborn Vampire were exceptionally sharp.

Even now, he sensed the subtle shifts of wind in the air, hinting his skin to the presence of all those nearby. It wasn’t particularly clear, definitely not as much as when he was in a direct confrontation, but…

No matter how enhanced his senses may have been, they were not infallible. In a place as crowded as this, it was simply impossible to detect two random people merely using the flow of wind.

Miles ran a hand through his hair, “There is something off about their eyewear,” he glanced at the goggles in question, causing Inani to notice and wave enthusiastically with her free hand. Miles snorted, looking away, “The metal in their lenses seemed ordinary, but it reminded me of the looking glass enchantment. Something tells me it is of Fae nature…”

Zhan Shen seemed surprised, “Oh really? That makes the couple a whole lot more interesting! Now we must take them up on their offer!”

Miles stared at the old butler, asking, “Are you sure about this, old Zhan?”

“Yes, something tells me they’ll definitely fulfill their end of the bargain,” the old butler grinned in confirmation.

Miles narrowed his eyes, “Why? Something from your spiritual bag of tricks?”

“No, even better. My gut!”

Miles was almost exasperated, “Sure, great, let’s trust your digestive system–” he paused. Glancing at Marcus’ clinic, an ordinary building without a single aspect to stand out, identical to the rest of the concrete constructions surrounding it. There wasn’t even a sign to reveal that it was a Faesycian Clinic.

Marcus must’ve been a discrete person, well, before he became a skeleton in a drain at least.

Either way, what Miles was actually interested in was a barely visible box attached to a clinic wall, off to the side of the drain in question. He could make out the chipped letters engraved upon it, CapSec. Some looters must have gotten to it, because the box was severely damaged, trashed, and sparking electricity.

Miles didn’t mind, for as long as the system was intact, it would serve its purpose.

He turned to Zhan Shen, “...Alright, let’s do that, after I confirm that the skeleton over there really is the Faesycian Marcus, and the equipment we need is no longer in close proximity.”

The elderly butler grinned, patting his stomach, “Deal.”

Miles didn’t wait for the reply, bringing up the Lykaon ring, “Cadmus, are you up for weaving into a Capital Security System? And, facial recognition on a possibly deceased Faesycian?”

***

The skeleton in the drain was very quickly proven to be Marcus, or at the very least, the unfortunate individual who had been thrown out of the clinic by a presumably short-tempered punk, only to accidentally slip and fall into the drainage, was indeed Marcus the Faesycian.

It was perhaps a blessing that the grainy quality of the security cameras and the dim glow of the nearby will-o’-wisp sign shrouded whatever happened inside of that drain.

The last thing Miles wanted to do was watch in intuitive detail how the Faesycian that had fallen inside, was pulled out as a half-consumed unrecognizable skeleton by the few looters that had the heart to care.

And as expected, the looters had been quite thorough, leaving behind nothing of value.

Despite a momentary attempt on his part to locate the Faesycian equipment he needed, Miles had to abandon the idea the moment he realized that the majority of looters carried nothing intact, just ripped off parts and components that would be easier to sell.

Thus, Miles had to keep his word, and entertain the offer from a very pleased Inani that proceeded to jump up and down with James still in her arms.

As it turned out, the supposedly “best ripper-doc in Capital City” was not in Yumekuro, but in the adjacent district of Hamelin.

Miles of course had Cadmus search for other Faesycian Clinics in the nearby vicinity, and rather unfortunately, the one in Hamelin was the answer. At least it confirmed their prospective guides weren’t deceiving them outright.

While it wasn’t at a distance he would simply refuse, it was still considerable…

‘With the Nameless Footwork we could’ve cut down the travel time in half, and it would’ve been an actually viable option if we ditched these two...’

Miles had shared this idea with Zhan Shen, but Inani and James, once again proving to be mannerless, serial eavesdroppers, overheard. This had led to a smug response from a muscular girl bouncing on the balls of her feet, “Haruka-san, our really good friend, isn’t taking customers right now. But… since we’re the ones asking, she might just give you an exception! We’re your only hope!”

Miles sincerely doubted that. Regardless of how much this Haruka needed a vacation, he was confident there would always be a price capable of changing her mind.

However, Zhan Shen had been the final decisive factor, stating that a friendly introduction was always best.

Miles couldn’t disagree with that, despite his very strong desire to avoid further association with the annoying duo.

So here he was, trailing through the streets, following after an animated yet disproportionately muscular girl skipping through the streets, with the straw-haired boy, thankfully maintaining a more conventional manner of movement, despite Inani’s many attempts to get him to follow her lead.

And they continued, painfully slowly.

***

They had been wandering through and past seemingly identical streets and buildings for the past half hour, despite being well within Hamelin now, an entirely new district.

Although everyone had been exceptionally careful in avoiding the drainage. It was an uneventful journey, the silence punctuated by their steps.

However, it wouldn’t be the outer city if everything was peaceful for long, and soon enough, something happened.

According to Inani, they were only two streets away from their destination, when Miles began to feel… disturbed.

He couldn’t tell what was causing it, or why, because he had never felt anything quite like it. It was an ineffable sense of wrongness that permeated the very air, an unnatural turbulence that defied explanation.

Enhanced eyes scanned the streets, seeking a possible source, but found only a desolate street veiled in shadows.

Miles felt watched, scrutinized by unseen eyes, and from the depths of his soul, it was… wrong.

The disturbing feeling persisted until they turned a corner. And that was where he saw it, a glimpse of silver and purple - a shimmer over the metal railing of a rusted fire escape.

He blinked.

In that moment, the very world shifted, seeming to slip around him, and he experienced a profound change. His dormant heart seemed to stir, beating once more, and a fleeting sense of vitality enveloped him, as even the dryness in his throat seemed to have been sated.

A figure appeared above the railing, graceful with pointed ears, adorned with four leaf-shaped pieces of translucent glass upon their back.

What intensified their unusualness was the abnormal size, not larger than an average palm.

For a moment where time itself seemed to have been paused, their eyes met.

Surprise, recognition, and– happiness.

That was what Miles saw in her eyes.

He blinked again.

And in an instant, everything had returned to normal. Miles’ heart was still once again, his thirst had returned, and… the Fae was gone, nowhere to be seen, leaving him uncertain of its presence in the first place.

‘What was that? A pixie? I’ve never seen something like her before!’

Miles glanced at the duo skipping ahead of them. Inani had finally managed to force James to skip with her, although he seemed rather embarrassed about it.

He turned to Zhan Shen, speaking discretely to make sure he wouldn’t be overheard again, “Did you see that old Zhan? That pixie?!”

Zhan Shen, after a quick scan of their surroundings, frowned, “Are you confident Master Miles? I sensed nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

Miles hesitated. He had never experienced anything that could escape Zhan Shen’s sharp senses. “Then, do you know of any Fae that could hide from you? She wasn’t a fairy, her wings didn’t match any of the known types, so a pixie, maybe…”

The elderly butler glanced at him strangely, “She?”, but then offered a single shrug, “Not really Master Miles. While I did hunt the Amathaka fairy for your mother, before she integrated their power into the Lykaon Network… I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of the existence of Fae that I would be unable to sense. Noone knows what those creatures are truly capable of.

“Well, what you saw may have something to do with your… new proclivities,” but before more could be said, Zhan Shen interrupted their conversation himself, “Regardless Master Miles, I believe we’ve arrived.”

And a shout from Inani up ahead, “We’re here!” confirmed it.

Despite the oddity of the strange Fae lingering in his thoughts, Miles was still taken aback by the sight before him. He was lost for words.

This was worlds apart in comparison to Marcu’s non-distinctive clinic.

This new clinic was a rioting cacophony of advertisements, every inch of its exterior plastered with glaring neon signs and lurid banners, even going so far as to overlap each other, advertising anything and everything ever sold in a convoluted mess.

There were FaeTech adverts for legendary Ogre and Treant tier serums, even Lykaon adverts for supersonic transporter engines, both high end products that could quite literally never be purchased from some random outer-city Faescyian clinic.

Obviously, more of an attention-grabbing tactic rather than actual products for sale. Perhaps a necessary requirement as the clinic wasn’t in an actual commercial area like Marcus' had been.

The hordes of will-o-wisps trapped within these neon banners thrummed discordantly, leaking pulses of Fae energy that caused those nearby to feel that the very world was flickering around them. A common phenomenon of keeping too many of the flickering Fae in close proximity.

Miles couldn’t help but squint, the effect being more annoying than anything else, as he struggled, but finally managed to decipher the store sign, HARUKA’S FAE-BULOUS EMPORIUM.

‘Is that supposed to be a pun?’

Regardless of his opinions on the Faesycian’s naming sense, the flamboyant state of the clinic alone spoke volumes to the character of this– Haruka that they were supposed to be consulting.

‘It’s a place that I wouldn’t have visited even if I was paid to! The only relief is that we don’t need the expertise of the gutter Faesycian, the so-called number one ‘ripper-doc’ of Capital City, and merely their equipment. But still, it’s so…’

“Gaudy. And tacky,” Miles muttered.

Inani, as always quick to overhear what she wasn’t supposed to, swiveled towards him with muscular arms on her hips, “Huh? Don’t be rude! Ryo-san decorated the place for Haruka-san six months ago! It’s romantic! And nice!”

Miles blistered in momentary annoyance, but soon realized the futility of an argument here, deciding to let it go, to some extent, “Ah, my most sincere apologies, Inani. I suppose the line between ‘romantic’ and ‘eye-sore’ is a thin one, a very thin one.”

With an overly eager smile, Inani nodded, "Okay, you're forgiven!" accepting his apology without a second thought. Her reaction was so naive that Miles almost felt guilty, almost.

James frowned, but didn't say anything further, still mostly staying behind the muscular girl when he could.

Inani's smile grew even wider, as she gestured towards the entrance with excited flourish, “Welcome to Haruka's Fae-bulous Emporium! Customers first!”

Before he did take her up on her offer, Miles glanced at Zhan Shen for a moment, still not entirely over the fact that this was where they had ended up in.

The elderly butler only returned a simple smile, as say this was the best that could be done, and for the hundredth time today, Miles wondered why old Zhan couldn’t wait for them to return to the inner city and consult a proper, more trusted Faesycian.

‘But he must have his reasons. And, despite the less-than-ideal circumstances, I would be lying if I said I was not looking forward to the experimentation…’

So, in the end, feeling distinctly annoyed, yet also eager, Miles stepped inside, pushing through a rusted iron door about to fall off its hinges.